Tamil Nadu Pregnancy and Heart Disease Registry (TNPHDR): design and methodology.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac disease in pregnancy is a major contributor to maternal mortality in high, middle and low-income countries. Availability of data on outcomes of pregnancy in women with heart disease is important for planning resources to reduce maternal mortality. Prospective data on outcomes and risk predictors of mortality in pregnant women with heart disease (PWWHD) from low- and middle-income countries are scarce. METHODS: The Tamil Nadu Pregnancy and Heart Disease Registry (TNPHDR) is a prospective, multicentric and multidisciplinary registry of PWWHD from 29 participating sites including both public and private sectors, across the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The TNPHDR is aimed to provide data on incidence of maternal and fetal outcomes, adverse outcome predictors, applicability of the modified World Health Organization (mWHO) classification of maternal cardiovascular risk and the International risk scoring systems (ZAHARA and CARPREG I & II) in Indian population and identify possible gaps in the existing management of PWWHD. Pregnancy and heart teams will be formed in all participating sites. Baseline demographic, clinical, laboratory and imaging parameters, data on counselling received, antenatal triage and management, peripartum management and postpartum care will be collected from 2500 eligible participants as part of the TNPHDR. Participants will be followed up at one, three and six-months after delivery/termination of pregnancy to document study outcomes. Predictors of maternal and foetal outcome will be identified. DISCUSSION: The TNPHDR will be the first representative registry from low- and middle-income countries aimed at providing crucial information on pregnancy outcomes and risk predictors in PWWHD. The results of TNPHDR could help to formulate steps for improved care and to generate a customised and practical guideline for managing pregnancy in women with heart disease in limited resource settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The TNPHDR is registered under Clinical Trials Registry-India ( CTRI/2020/01/022736 ).

Banana fiber Cellulose Nano Crystals grafted with butyl acrylate for heavy metal lead (II) removal.

The present work deals with extraction of Cellulose Nano Crystals (CNCs) from Banana fiber using the steam explosion method. Extracted CNCs was grafted with butyl acrylate (BA) monomer with ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an initiator. The prepared graft copolymer was analyzed using FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDAX. FTIR results indicate that the CH2 type of linkages was observed in the grafted copolymer showing effective formation of grafted copolymer. XRD results elucidate the changes in the crystalline behaviour of the prepared CNCs grafted butyl acrylate copolymer. SEM images of a prepared adsorbent was appeared to be heterogeneous and covered with clusters which will be suitable for adsorption. Batch adsorption studies was carried out for the removal of Pb(II) ions from the aqueous solution using the prepared copolymer. The parameters such as effect of pH, contact time, initial metal ion concentration and adsorbent dosage was investigated. From the observed results it was concluded that, the optimum pH: 5, contact time: 360 min, adsorbent dosage: 4 g/100 mL and initial metal ion concentration: 125 mg/L. The adsorption isotherm models of Pb(II) ions could be described very well by Freundlich model and the kinetic results revealed that pseudo-second-order kinetics showed a better fit.

Development of 3D scaffolds using nanochitosan/silk-fibroin/hyaluronic acid biomaterials for tissue engineering applications.

Bone tissue engineering put emphasis on fabrication three-dimensional biodegradable porous scaffolds that supporting bone regeneration and functional bone tissue formation. In the present work, we prepared novel 3D tripolymeric scaffolds of nanochitosan (NCS)/silk fibroin (SF)/hyaluronic acid (HA) ternary blends and demonstrating the synergistic effect of scaffolds and its use in tissue engineering applications. The physico-chemical characterization of the prepared scaffold was evaluated by FTIR, XRD and SEM studies. The FT-IR and XRD results confirmed the interfacial bonding interaction existing between polymers. SEM images showed good interconnected porous structure with rough surface morphology. The in vitro cytocompatibility tests carried out with osteoblast cells by the MTT assay demonstrated that the blended scaffold favors the early adhesion, growth and proliferation of preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. The alizarin red assay indicated that the prepared scaffold can promote the osteogenic differentiation and facilitate the calcium mineralization of MC3T3-E1 cells. The alkaline phosphatase assay confirmed that the NCS/SF/HA scaffold provide conducive environment for osteoblast proliferation and mineral deposition. The bactericidal action of NCS/SF/HA scaffold reveals that the prepared sample has the potential to kill the microorganisms to a greater extent. Hence the overall findings concluded that the NCS/SF/HA scaffolds have better applications in tissue engineering.

Adsorption Studies of Lead(II) from aqueous solution onto Nanochitosan /Polyurethane /Polypropylene glycol ternary blends.

Chitosan is one of the most abundant natural biopolymer after cellulose. Nanochitosan (NCS) was prepared from chitosan by ionic gelation method with sodium tripolyphosphate. Polyurethanes (PU) find wide range of applications as good materials for the concentration and removal of both organic and inorganic pollutants because of their high efficiency for sorption of various ionic and neutral materials. Polypropylene glycol (PPG) is a family of long chain polymers attached to a glycerine backbone. The present project deals with the aims in exploiting the positive behaviour of the three polymers by preparing a ternary blends of NCS/PU/PPG(1:1:1) ratio. Batch adsorption process was carried out using prepared ternary blend of various parameters influencing the Pb(II) adsorption such as initial concentration of the metal solutions, pH, agitation time and adsorbent concentrations have been studied. The characterization of the prepared sample was carried out using FTIR, XRD, TGA, DSC and SEM studies. Langmuir, Freundlich and Tempkin isotherm parameters have been determined. Adsorption kinetic data were tested using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and Elovich model. The kinetics of the adsorption was found to fit the pseudo-second order model. The present work proves the suitability of the ternary blend as an effective adsorbent for Pb(II).

Removal of toxic heavy metal lead (II) using chitosan oligosaccharide-graft-maleic anhydride/polyvinyl alcohol/silk fibroin composite.

The present work was aimed to investigate the efficiency of novel chitosan oligosaccharide-graft-maleic anhydride(COS-g-MAH)/Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/silk fibroin (SF) composite for removing the toxic heavy metal lead (II) ion from aqueous solution by batch adsorption studies. Initially the chitosan oligosaccharide-graft-maleic anhydride copolymer has been prepared by utilizing ceric ammonium nitrate as an initiator and the optimised graft copolymer was then used for synthesizing COS-g-MAH/PVA/SF composite. The prepared samples were analyzed through FTIR and XRD studies. The FTIR results indicate that the grafted chitosan oligosaccharide copolymer was mixed homogeneously with silk fibroin and polyvinyl alcohol through intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The XRD results elucidate the changes in the crystalline behaviour of the prepared COS-g-MAH/PVA/silk fibroin composite. Both FTIR and XRD results revealed a strong interaction among COS-g-MAH, PVA and silk fibroin components. To evaluate the adsorption potential of the synthesized composite, the parameters such as pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and initial Pb(II)ion concentration was investigated. The adsorption isotherms of Pb(II) could be described very well by Langmuir model and the kinetic results revealed that pseudo second order kinetics shows a better fit. This work provides a practical and high-efficient method for water treatment at moderate concentration of toxic heavy metals.